Electrical service providers generally deliver electricity to their customers via power lines buried underground or distributed along poles or towers overhead. The provider's power lines are usually distributed from a power generation station to numerous sets of customer lines, so that customers can then use the power to satisfy their various electrical needs. To measure delivered power so that customers can be billed in proportion to their usage, service providers typically terminate their power lines at a customer's home or business facility through a metered socket box, various designs for which are well known.
For example, one previously known meter box consists of two sets of electrical posts, with a provider's transmission lines being connected to one set of posts, and the customer's service lines to the other set. In order to measure the amount of electricity a customer uses, the meter box is configured to accept a watt-hour meter or another electricity usage measurement device, which, when plugged into the socket box, permits transmission of electricity from the provider to the customer and allows the amount of transmitted electricity to be accurately measured, so that the provider can charge the customer for power usage at an appropriate rate.
Various designs and uses for watt-hour meters are also well known, and all such designs and uses are incorporated into the teachings of the present invention. The present invention is also applicable in situations where the customer's service lines are routed from the meter box to a breaker box so that electricity can be distributed to multiple service locations using additional sets of electrical lines or wires.
Presently, there are two common types of meter socket boxes, each distinguished by the manner in which the meter is secured in place once it has been plugged into an electrical socket disposed in the meter box. For example, a ringed type meter box fitted with a flanged front cover is known, within which a watt-hour meter is disposed so that a head portion of the meter passes out through a flanged opening in the front cover. In this configuration, the meter is generally held in place using an annular, lockable sealing ring.
Also known is a ringless type meter box, in which the box cover secures the meter in place. For example, and referring now to prior art FIG. 1, a ringless type meter box 10 includes an installed meter 20 and a box cover 30, the meter box cover being shown prior to installation. Formed around an opening in a central portion of meter box cover 30 is a flange 40; a complementary flange 50 is disposed on meter 20 such that, when meter box cover 30 is installed over and around the head of meter 20, complementary flange sections 40 and 50 join together, so that the meter cannot be easily removed from the electrical socket unless the cover is first removed from the meter box.
The meter box cover 30 is typically secured in place by means of a small latch assembly, which functions in structural cooperation with a complementary latch-receiving member disposed on the meter box 10. The meter box cover 30 is used to secure the meter 20 to the electrical socket (not shown), so that completion of an electrical circuit is ensured, and the meter is reliably prevented from falling out of the meter box socket.
The meter box cover 30 also prevents unauthorized persons from tampering with the meter. For example, some customers have attempted to bypass the meter, so that unmeasured electricity could be used free of charge. Also, service providers are sometimes forced to disconnect service to customers, for example, due to non-payment of monthly bills. In this event, a locked meter box cover helps prevent a customer from entering the meter box and reconnecting electrical service. However, in instances where the small latch assembly on the meter box fails to provide sufficient security for preventing unauthorized access to the meter and meter box socket, a sturdier, more tamper resistant solution is required.
There are presently only a few commonly used security devices for securing meter box covers to socket boxes. One type requires an installer to drill or punch a hole in the meter box prior to installation of a fastening device. However, some installers are independent contractors rather than employees of the companies that own the meter boxes, and thus drilling or punching a starter hole in the box is sometimes undesirable. Also, drilling takes additional time and adds more steps to the installation, each of which could be avoided if drilling were not required.
To overcome these shortcomings, there are also locks that can be installed on ringless meter socket boxes that do not require drilling or punching a hole in the meter box. One such lock, for example, is the Inner-Tite Jiffy Lock™ or “IT Lock,” shown in U.S. Pat. No. D463,248. The IT Lock essentially consists of a housing for the meter box lock assembly, and a grasping bracket having a clamp and thumb screw assembly for grasping the meter socket box.
During assembly, the bracket is hung over a wall of the meter box, sandwiching the wall between a portion of the bracket and the clamp. The clamp and bracket are then secured into place using a screw that is hand tightened, thereby fastening the base support assembly to the meter box. After the meter box door is installed, the housing member is secured to the support assembly using a plunger type lock. The meter box door is held in place by a lip disposed on a body portion of the housing.
However, the mentioned clamp and thumb screw assembly has proven dissatisfactory in practice because it is inherently limited by the installer's ability to reliably tighten the thumb screw tightly enough to secure the device to the meter box. This limitation can cause the entire support assembly to loosen, which can in turn allow the meter box cover to be easily removed or tampered with. Thus, a more secure apparatus and method is needed for quickly securing a cover to a meter box without requiring the drilling or punching of holes.
The McGard Intimidator Sidewinder-Lock™ is another example in the prior art of a security device that can be quickly attached to a meter box wall without using tools. The McGard™ locks essentially consist of a housing and a base support assembly, the support assembly consisting of a bracket, a swing arm, a clamp, and a spring plate. During assembly, the bracket is initially hung over a meter box wall with the swing arm and clamp in the open position. Even in this partially installed position, however, the meter box cover can still be closed without the swing arm and clamp being securely attached, and without the support base assembly being held firmly in place.
Thus, when the lid is placed over the meter box, there is no way of knowing whether the swing arm and clamp are fully secured. In fact, the simple act of placing a box cover over the meter box can, in certain circumstances, cause the swing arm to open accidentally, thereby releasing the tension in the spring plate and loosening the base support assembly from the wall without the installer's knowledge. If the support assembly loosens from the wall, the meter box door may still be opened, defeating the purpose of installing the lock.
There is, therefore, a need for a meter box security device that can be easily and quickly installed, which reliably ensures that the box cover cannot be shut once the support assembly is hung on a wall unless the clamping member is properly secured to a meter box wall. There is also a need for a meter box security apparatus that offers greater security for preventing unauthorized entry into a meter box than is known in the prior art. There is also a need for a meter box security device having a reduced number of parts, so as to limit system complexity and hold down manufacturing costs.